Hard To Remember
by WatermelonHappy
Summary: Emily's faked death has caused a lot more damage than anyone could foresee.
1. Chapter 1

All eyes were on her when she emerged into the room. Before she could get any words out several things happened.

Penelope burst into tears and stood quickly. Emily smiled thinking she was happy to see her and coming in for a hug. Her smile fell when Penelope stormed out of the room.

She was even more surprised when Spencer stood and followed her out. She sighed realizing this was going worse than she'd hoped for. When she turned back to the team none of them were staring at her rather past her where Penelope and Spencer had made their quick exit.

They all had worried looks gracing their faces.

 _What is going on? I'm missing something._

Before she could say anything Derek spoke up.

"She's alive and neither of you thought to say anything after what Penelope and Spencer went through" Derek growled.

Hotch spoke evenly, "there was nothing we could say this had to stay a secret."

Derek just shook his head and stared at Hotch and Emily back and forth with a heart broken look on his face.

JJ spoke, "Morgan we are truly sorry but this had to be kept quiet."

"We're supposed to be a family though," Derek said.

Everyone grew silent after that statement.

Emily took this as her chance to find out what the issue was.

"Can someone tell me whats going on please?" she asked.

Derek shot her a dirty look and for once in her life Emily was truly afraid of what was about to be said next.

Hotch looked at her sighed and began recounting the tragic incident.

 _Hotch was in his office going through some paperwork to get his mind off of his crumbling team. Emily's "Death" shook this team to it's core._

 _A knock on his door shook him out of his thoughts._ _"Come in," he called out._

 _Spencer walked in with an abnormally serious look on his face. He walked towards Hotch and took a seat._

 _Spencer cleared his throat, "Penelope and I need some time off."_

 _Hotch looked him in the eyes with confusion._

 _"What's going on and where's Penelope?" he questioned._

 _Spencer looked up with tears glistening in his eyes._

 _"Penelope and I have been in a relationship for a little over a year and we've been engaged for about two months," he admitted quietly._

 _Now Hotch was really confused. Spencer should be happy right now._

 _"Thats great Reid you should be happy, if its fraternization rules you're worried about we can easily find ways around them," he spoke hoping to cheer up the sad man._

 _Spencer shook his head and tried to compose himself some._ _"No...no, Penelope and I decided we wanted to start a family. She was pregnant..." he trailed off._

 _Hotch stopped breathing for a second, "What do you mean "was pregnant"?_

 _"After Emily's death she's been really stressed and she spiralled into a deep depression. It all took a toll on her body...She lost the baby last night," he stated._

 _"I'm so sorry Spencer," he spoke_

 _Spencer finally allowed himself to break._

 _"We lost our baby Hotch, We never got to meet...we'll never know if it was a little boy or a girl we could spoil," he choked out._

 _Hotch frowned, "I'm so sorry."_

Emily let a few tears fall, "This is my fault Hotch we shouldn't have lied."

"Emily they have moved on. Garcia's pregnant again with a little boy." Hotch told her.

"If they've moved on what was that then?" she asked referring to Penelope's storm out.

Derek looked at her angrily, "She lost a baby!"

"Enough Derek," JJ cut in.

"Its just hard to remember sometimes," Hotch told her


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N I'm not really sure how long Emily was gone but we're going to just roll with however long this story needs her to have been gone. Penelopes about 5 months along we'll say. This story will continue because I not only have the surface issues but there may have been some things happening behind the scenes *wink hint*_

 **Meanwhile In Penelopes lair**

Spencer sat comforting Penelope as she recovered from her fit of tears. He rubbed her back as she took deep shuddering breaths.

"We lost our baby for nothing," Penelope whispered.

Spencer hooked his finger under her chin and stared her deeply in the eyes.

"There's no way we could have known Pen," he said comfortingly.

Penelope sighed, "I want to hate her right now. I want to hate anyone who knew but I can't find it in my heart to. I'm more happy that she's not actually dead."

Spencer looked at her in amazement wondering how he'd gotten so luck as to have this amazingly kind woman to marry him. Even he was beginning to feel some hate bubbling in his heart.

Spencer caressed her baby bump lovingly and said, "at least we were blessed to have this little boy to love."

She smiled a little. Leave it to her husband to make the best of a situation, even one as bizarre as this.

"How could they not say anything Spence?" She questioned.

Spencer opened his mouth to speak but for once in his life he didn't have the answer. Even he would have thought with Penelopes issues being glaringly obvious someone would have intervened.

He finally spoke, "I don't know Pen and to be honest I'm still trying to process everything, so how about we head home?"

That did sound really tempting to her right now. A nice relaxing bubble bath with her husband too. Maybe a massage.

"Yeah, let's go tell Hotch that..."

Spencer cut her off, "No, screw him let's go home."

 **B.A.U Next Morning**

Emily made her way into the office bright and early. The usual easy going atmosphere gone. Derek was still giving her the cold shoulder and she hadn't heard from PG or Reid. She can't say she really expected to anyways.

She made herself the strongest cup of coffee possible. She needed it being as though she got no sleep last night. She laid awake all night trying to figure out how to somehow apologize to the grieving couple. What really could she say.

 _"Hey sorry your kid died wanna go get dinner later"_

She had to admit though there was a selfish part of her not ready to take any of the blame because it was never her intention to fake her death.

She put an end to those thoughts quickly though.

She heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Hotch and JJ walking toward her coffee in hand.

JJ gave her a warm smile, "Good morning," She paused before her next question.

"Morgan still not speaking with you?"

Emily sighed, "Not even to tell me to go to hell."

JJ sighed and shifted from foot to foot.

"All three of us are in the dog house at the moment. The rest of the team is none to happy with us," Hotch spoke suddenly.

Emily took a moment before speaking,"You guys saw what she was going through

so why did you keep quiet?"

"Emily you know we were under direct orders," JJ told her.

"Yes but as a friend and a parent why JJ...Hotch?"

JJ looked down at the ground while Hotch kept eye contact.

"It wouldn't have mattered anyway she was already to deep in her depression," Hotch explained.

They were startled by a deep sarcastic voice.

"Wow so that's what you tell yourself to help you sleep at night," Morgan drawled sarcastically.

They all turned to see the man, his face set with grim features.

"It seems none of you get it, you had Henry and Jack to go home to. All she had was a memory and a husband grieving with the loss of their baby and one of their best friends. You don't even know how many nights..." he stopped himself, shook his head and walked off.

After his speech he walked off leaving the three stunned knowing this was going to be a rough road they were about to walk.

 _Any guesses or ideas about how this will all play out :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N I'm back with another chapter I hope you guys enjoy!!!_

The team had been called away on a case about a week later. It was a welcome distraction from the drama happening amongst the team.

The team all boarded in an awkward uncomfortable manner. Dave, Spencer, and Derek sitting a lot closer to each other.

Even talking case facts was strained. Everyone's replies were short and hurried. Spencer hadn't even spouted off any facts yet.

Hotch looked at Dave who had not been a party to any of the drama thus far. When asked why he hadn't thrown his two cents in his reply was short and to the point, "No use fighting a losing battle."

Even now Hotch didn't understand what he meant.

He was shaken from his thoughts upon hearing the beep indicating Penelope was coming through.

"What have you got baby girl?" Morgan asked.

Penelope smiled at him, "I dug into all the victims backgrounds and found that they all went to the same college and frequented most the same hangout spots. Not much but more than we knew."

"You are a goddess woman," Derek smiled

"So I've been told, love you Spencer..Garcie out," She said.

As soon as she logged off any semblance of normalcy was sucked from the room.

Hotch cleared his throat, "Ok when we land Morgan and Prentiss head to the latest crime scene see if anything was missed, Reid and Dave go meet with the ME, JJ and I will go set up shop."

The only noticeable change was Derek cutting his eyes at Emily. Good he wouldn't even look at her before.

He quickly turned away from her as if she was dirty to look at.

Spoke too soon.

 **Morgan And Prentiss**

The car ride to the scene was eerily quiet except for Emily's soft sighs.

She finally spoke, "You may not believe me but I am so sorry. I never wanted nor expected any of this to happen."

When Derek didn't answer she looked away from him thinking that was the end of the one sided conversation.

Her heart gave an unexpected thump when she heard his voice.

"I'm not as upset with you as I am with JJ and Hotch. I can't hold you accountable for something that happened while you were not supposed to be in contact with any of us. No, I'm upset that they sat by and watched my bestfriend become severely depressed and lose her baby yet do nothing. I'm upset that they still haven't had the balls to talk to her. I'm hurt Emily...I'm hurt," he admitted.

"I will do everything in my power to make this better Derek," Emily promised.

Derek sighed, "I don't think you can Emily."

 **Dave And Reid**

The pair had arrived early, as per usual, and were currently waiting for the M.E to arrive.

Being as though Rossi was one of the only two people on the team Spencer was really speaking with made him feel at ease.

"So how have you been kid?" Rossi asked

Spencer sighed and gave an honest answer, "Not good. I'm staying strong but seeing Emily is really unsettling. You know Penelope and I aren't really even mad at her. It's JJ and Hotch we're furious with. I'm not stupid either I know Hotch made Emily go with Derek to force them to talk, I saw it in his face. The only reason he didn't send me with JJ was because he honestly needed her at the station."

Rossi stared at him a minute taking in everything he'd just said. Maybe he did need to give a little input.

"Well you're all adults so I won't lecture you, but I will say to keep in mind that your wife is pregnant again. I think it would be wise to not stress out to much if possible," Rossi said with real concern.

Spencer shook his head yes even though he'd already taken that into consideration. Pen and the baby were his number one concern. This time would be better. He wasn't letting anyone get in the way of their happiness.

He looked at Rossi and decided he needed to be honest with him.

"Pen and I have been talking since Emily got back, Derek's on board with it and I think you have the right to know..."

Spencer was cut off as the M.E walked into the room.

"We'll talk later," Spencer spoke quickly.

Dave just stared wondering what could possibly be going on.

 _A/N ooooohhhhh this ominous ending_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N I so wished I owned CM because the team would not have been let off so easily!!!_

It had already been a week since the team had been away on this case and they had finally made their break and caught the unsub.

At the end of the day the team made their way to the hotel to rest as they were leaving early tomorrow.

When they arrived the hotel Spencer requested that Morgan and Rossi meet him in his room in about twenty minutes.

He was getting curious looks from the rest of the team. He honestly didn't care though. It was none of their concern what was happening.

He slid his key card to open his room door and quickly shut the door and got his shoes off. Immediately after he plopped on the bed and took out his phone. He clicked number one on his speed dial and waited for his wife to answer the phone.

"Hey sweetness how can I be of service?" Penelope answered cheerily.

Spencer smiled, "Just allow me to hear your voice."

"Oh you flatter me," she said with a giggle.

They spent a few minutes just talking to eachother. Spencer pestering her as usual about the baby.

"Oh I almost forgot to tell you Spence. The deal went through," she squealed.

Spencer laughed, "How was that not the first thing you told me?"

"Baby makes mamma forgetful," she replied.

They laughed at that together.

"I love you so much Pen never change," he told her.

It was then he heard the knocking on his door. They must be here.

"Pen I've got to go now. I love you, get some sleep, and drink that stuff I go..."

"Yes, yes I got it love you my little genius. Baby says bye as well," she said.

As she hung up he made his way across the room and opened the door to reveal Rossi and Derek standing side by side.

Spencer moved to the side to give them room to enter and quickly shut the door.

"So do I finally get to know this secret?" Rossi asked.

Everyone sat and got comfortable before Spencer began to speak.

"As you know Penelope and I lost our baby the first time around and she's now pregnant again. We can't stick around any longer. We're not taking any chances. It's too hard to look at Hotch and JJ...even Emily," Spencer explained.

"So what are you going to do?" Rossi asked.

Derek finally spoke, "We're all leaving. We being Penelope, Reid, and I. I got a job offer in California to lead my own team and so far it's only the three of us going. We're forming our own team."

"Well then I'm coming," Dave stated.

"You don't have to if you don't want to..."

Rossi cut him off, "No I want to. I see Penelope as a daughter and if she's been wronged then so have I."

Spencer was glad Rossi decided to come. He knew he would miss him when they left if he didn't come.

Spencer smiled. Everything was coming together.

He perked up suddenly, "I called Pen and she told me we got the house."

"Then that knocks that off the list," Derek said.

For the next hour or two the men spoke and went into detail about how they would execute the move. It was decided that none of them wanted to be around longer than needed. They would be gone in two weeks tops, they didn't want Pen flying to close to her due date.

They were completely starting over, only bringing valuables. Derek and Dave would be staying with Reid and Pen until they found places of their own.

"It's sad this is what it came down to," Derek murmured.

"This is the best option for us and our child right now. I'm not raising my kid around this," Spencer explained ,"Think about how horrible it would be for a kid to have someone snatched back and forth from their lives."

"We understand kid," Rossi agreed.

There was a brief moment of silence

"So how are we going to actually go about leaving?" Spencer asked.

"Don't worry about that. My move was already pending. I'm allowed to leave without a second's notice and since I'm forming a team you're allowed to do the same," Derek explained.

"Good I just want to leave with no trouble," Spencer said.

He couldn't believe it. This was really the end. Years ago he couldn't have imagined leaving the B.A.U whatsoever. But even he knew change was inevitable.

He was doing it. He was going to have everything he's ever wanted. A real and true family.

 _A/N Not to worry this is not the end.There are still a few important chapters yet to be pumped out :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N So sorry I have seriously been M.I.A, I'll be making up for it. Enjoy the chapter guys!!!_

Upon the teams arrival to the B.A.U things were just as tense as when they left.

Hotch immediately migrated to his office to escape. JJ stayed behind talking with Emily, while not so subtely sneaking glances at the trio of men who were there.

Ignoring JJ and Emily the men walked their separate ways.

Spencer made his way towards Penelopes office. They needed to talk about some new development's

JJ and Emily watched as he walked away.

Spencer walked to Penelopes door and entered without knocking. No use in knocking. He'd seen some strange things even when he knocked.

He looked around the office only to find his wife sound asleep at her desk. A smile graced his face as he watched her sleep.

He walked to over and gently tapped her awake. She opened her eyes and adjusted her glasses.

"Spence!" she yelled.

She pulled him into as tight of a hug as her belly would let her. She pulled back to look at him and before he could get words out she pulled him down into a passionate kiss.

The kiss seemed to last forever. Spencer wished it could have.

Penelope moved her hand down to his belt buckle and started to tug at it.

"Hey, not now we need to talk," he said as he regretfully moved her hand away.

"Please...I needed you like yesterday lover," Penelope whined.

Spencer smiled, "I'll make it up to you all night long of we talk right now. I promise."

Penelope looked at him and thought. He always kept his promises. She sighed internally. He could win this time.

She moved her hands away but stayed cuddled in his arms.

"I talked with Rossi and he wants to come with us," Spencer told her.

Penelopes eyes widened, "Really? My Italian stallion is leaving with us."

"Yes he is, and since the house went through all we need to do is speak with Strauss. If everything goes to plan we can be gone in two weeks tops," Spencer said quickly.

"I can't wait to leave Spence," Penelope whispered.

"Me either Pen, me either," he said.

Neither were none the wiser to the agent listening from outside the door.

SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP

Emily made her way to Hotchs office. She really needed to speak with someone.

She knocked on his door and entered before he could call out.

"I think Spencer and Penelope are planning on leaving!" she blurted out.

He sat there with files in his hands and a srunned look on his face.

"What?" he asked

Fuck

She had to tell him now. Her and her big mouth. She had really wanted to keep the secret a little longer or at least until she found out more.

She had to do something though. They were just trying to leave without a word. She needed to make them see they were making the wrong choice. Family needs to stick together.

"Umm...I heard them talking. They said Dave was going with them and that the deal on a house closed," she said in one breath.

"I'm going to assume that Derek is most likely going with them as well." Hotch said.

She thought about it.

That would mean half the team

"We have to do something they're talking about speaking with Strauss to get everything approved," she said.

Hotch stood and walked towards her. He stopped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Why would Strauss approve something like that. We'll keep the team together," he said.

He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.

She sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him. She broke the kiss and leaned her head against his shoulder.

She frowned and looked down sadly. She wanted everything to go back to normal. She thought everyone would welcome her back. If that was the case she could have told them that she and Hotch have been in a relationship for a few months.

But that could never happen. If it did she'd have to tell them that Hotch had been visiting while she was "dead". That would cause an even bigger tear in the teams dynamic.

Screw being hard to remember. This was now and this reality is hard to live.

 _A/N I don't know what just happened. Blame the fact that I live for drama. Anyways leave lot's of comments and I hope you enjoyed._


	6. Chapter 6

**_Hi...yes I know I've been M.I.A, but I'm only in highschool and this school year is kicking my ass. With my extracurriculars and my actual education it's all been a huge adjustment. I will be making up for lost time though..._**

As a new day dawned upon the B.A.U Spencer made his way in early. So early in fact, he was there before Hotch.

He knew he'd only have but so many chances to speak with Strauss. He wanted a chance to put everything out there so she'd have more time to think and hopefully help move the process along quicker.

He made his way up to her office but paused at the door and took a deep breath.

Lifting his fist he allowed the first knocks to ring out.

"It's open," she called.

He slowly opened the door and made eye contact with Strauss.

She just stared at him for a split second before going back to her paper work.

He slipped in and took a seat right in front of her desk. He crossed his hand on her desk and cleared his throat.

"I'm aware you received my email and know of the situation," he stated.

She finally looked up and sighed, "Yes I received your email... and I'm fully on your side."

He looked shocked for a few seconds before setting his mind straight.

"Really?"

"Yes. I don't agree with the way Aaron handled things regarding agent Prentiss. Therefore your impending move will be made as smoothly as possible and the rest of the team will not be involved," She stated.

Spencer could feel his heart beating a mile a minute. He was so excited. This was the first step towards his families happiness.

Strauss just sat with a soft smile watching all his conflicting emotions.

When she'd received his email he sounded almost desperate to leave the B.A.U and hurry this move along. He'd told her of all Penelopes hardships dealing with the loss.

She could only sympathize with her. She was a mother and loved her children with everything she was. The thought of losing any of them brought immense pain to her heart.

She knew right away she would do anything to help these two. When she'd heard what the team had done she was disgusted with all of them.

All she'd heard for years was how much of a family they were. No family would have let this happen.

Spencer finally spoke up, "You don't understand how much this means to us."

"I think I do Spencer," She replied, "You two deserve to be happy."

 ** _I know the chapters short but there will be a lot more soon and I really wanted to get something out there. Once again I'm really sorry. I hope you guys aren't too upset._**

 ** _Lot's of Love, Cam_**


	7. Authors Note

**Authors Note**

 **I really want to apologize for my absence as of recently. I am a firm believer in he saying "quality over quantity". I didn't want to half-ass anything and not be proud of my work.**

 **I wasn't mentally all the there in the last few months of 2017. Call it teenage angst if you will.** **In all honesty though I didn't feel as thought I was in a good headspace to feel as though I would be putting out work that I was proud of.**

 **With two of my strongest passions being writing and dancing and I felt as though I wasn't passionate enough about my writing at the time.**

 **With us entering a new year I want to work on myself a little more. I feel so much more positive already. I just had my birthday on January 11th and I turned 16 (I know, I'm a fetus).**

 **I will continue on with this story and I hope I didn't let anyone down to badly.** **It's thanks to you I feel that I can write again.**

 **I had the courage to finally read some of the comments on my story and the user tannerose5 made me feel so much more confident in myself. I'll never be able to explain my gratitude.**

 **Lastly, there will be back to back updates very soon. Trust me!**

 **Love,** **Cam**


	8. Chapter 7

Penelope made her way into the bullpen carefully maneuvering her big belly as not to knock anything over. Wincing as she gingerly laid out the case file for the agents who would be in attendance while trying to ease the pain in her belly.

She was due just about any day now. The plan had originally been to leave before she was due so that the baby would be born into an entirely new environment, and although they'd tried it had always been thwarted unsuccessfull.

Every time they were set to leave another case would come up. Again and again and again...and again. They could never catch a break.

She'd heard Hotch announce a new case so many times that her mommy senses could sense it before she even saw him.

Therefore, Penelope and Spencer had painstakingly agreed that it would be better to deliver the baby here. On top of that Spencer was scared shitless after she'd had an experince with Braxton Hicks. She just hoped she would be able to deal with everyone until they finally left.

Emily had only been a little over three months. However, here at the B.A.U that dragged on to feel like three year's. There still was no peace made. If anything the team somehow managed to speak less to each other.

While walking through the room Penelope hissed in pain as she heard footsteps approaching. It was probably her husband coming to bug her about taking it easy.

She looked up and was shocked to see Emily making her way into the room. Out of everyone on the team Emily had managed to avoid any awkward confrontations.

"Oh...hey Garcia," Emily stammered.

"Hi" Penelope replied shortly.

"So..." Emily started but quickly stopped as Penelope turned her back to her.

The air in the room suddenly felt as if it had been sucked out and replaced purely with tension and awkwardness.

She awkwardness was weighing on Emily and she almost left hadn't she heard Penelopes breathing.

Hell the only sounds that could be heard we're Penelope's heavy breathing.

Probaly her non stop movement this far along in her pregnancy Emily thought.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked genuinely worried.

She could see sweat beading on Garcia's brow.

Penelope looked at her for a second before opening her mouth to reply.

Before she could get words out they heard an almost inaudible pop and trickling sound.

"Shit," Penelope whisped, "Go get Spencer please" She ordered.

Emily hesitated for a moment, deciding whether or not she should be leaving Penelope alone. The decision was made for her when Peneolpe screamed in pain.

"Ahhhhh...ahhh...GET HIM," She screamed.

"Okay...okay," Emily breathed out as she turned and ran.

Not even thirty seconds later Spencer was running towards her and grabbing her in his arm's.

"How far apart are the contractions? On a scale of 1-10 how much does it hurt? How long did you have contractions before your water..." Spencer spoke being cut off.

"Just call an ambulance so I can push out your kid!" Penelope yelled.

"Technically..."

"SPENCER!" Penelope yelled.

"Sorry" Spencer said.

SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

When Spencer and Penelope finally arrived at the hospital Derek and Rossi were nervously waiting.

Penelope was wheeled away with Spencer hot on her heels and Derek and Rossi behind them.

"Hey only the father is allowed in at the moment" a nurse yelled.

They quickly flashed their badges and continued moving.

Derek grinned as they jogged down the hallway, "ready to be a dad pretty boy?"

Spencer abruptly stopped moving.

"Oh my god. IM ABOUT TO HAVE A REAL LIVING CHILD" Spencer said.

Derek and Rossi laughed as they grabbed Spencer and kept him moving.

"Yes you are Spence, yes you are" Rossi said while patting his back.


	9. Chapter 8

As Morgan sat waiting with David a group of disgruntled agents burst through the hospital doors, causing a few patrons to stop and stare. The agents quickly and quietly made their way into the hospital to the waiting room lookimg for Rossi and Derek.

Spotting the two, Prentiss, Aaron, and JJ quickly made their way over to them. Quietly as not to draw any more attention to themselves.

Aaron spoke first upon reaching them, "Sorry it took us so long," He apologized.

He hoped no arguments would be sparked as this was not the place to start one, and he'd rather not have to argue with his team in public.

"Your apology isn't needed. I'm almost positive you're not even wanted here," Morgan spit out.

All the agents were taken aback for a second at the harsh tone taken with them. The team had been avoiding talks so there hadn't been any arguments as of lately.

They quickly recovered though ready to throw back an onslaught of viscous words.

"I think Penelope would want everyone here today," JJ hissed back just as fiercely. Stepping closer to Morgan as she got bolder.

Morgan looked down at her ready to attack her with his words. He wouldn't let her win this argument. She don't deserve to win this. Just like they didn't deserve to be here right now.

"Well I don't think-" Morgan stood up to say but was cut off by Rossi.

"I happen to KNOW Penelope wouldn't want us arguing like children right now," He

said.

The agents stopped arguing but they all held their stances. None ready to completely back down just yet. They just stared each other down for a few more seconds.

Morgan was the first to sit down the others filling in the seats soon after. Now it was just a matter of waiting.

SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

3 Hours Later

Spencer slowly walked down the hospital hallways towards the rest of his family.

Upon reaching the others he paused at the sight of Aaron, Prentiss, and JJ. After the shock of seeing them wore down he continued walking.

The others noticed he looked disheveled and had tear tracks on his face. He clothes were rumpled and his hands were fidgeting.

Everyone immediately stood up.

There was silence

"IT'S A BOY!!" He screamed.

Derek and Rossi immediately engulfed him in a bone crushing hug pouring all their love through this hug.

"She wants to see you two," Spencer said.

The agents turned quickly in a rush to see the woman. Before they could go anywhere Spencer turned around to face the others.

He let out a breath before saying, "thanks for being here."

He made eye contact with each of them before turning to make his way back to his family.

Emily stood with tears in her eyes. She remember when Penelope was like her sister. It really hurt now.

Aaron stood and pulled her arm ushering her away, JJ not far behind. The group solemnly making their way out of the hospital

SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Penelope laid on the bed holding her little bundle of joy as the men quietly made their way into her room. She looked up upon their entrance and beamed a smile at them. The moment felt all too perfect to her.

They all just watched her interact with the baby for a few minutes in silence. It was amazing to see her so happy holding the baby.

Derek was the first to speak, "so what's this little guys name?" He asked.

Penelope looked at Spencer and smiles a 1000 watt smile. They had decided to keep the name a secret until the birth of the baby.

They knew it would be a real surprise. It'll really mean a lot.

"Guys I would like to introduce you to Alexander David Derek Reid." She said.

They both stared at her with blank expressions for a few seconds before they fully understood.

Penelope scoffed.

 _Such boys_

The men looked at her with tears in their eyes after she spoke the little guys name. It was such an honor to have their child bestowed with their names. After all they have been through together they had never felt more like family than in this moment.

Spencer walked towards the bed and sat in the seat next to it.

"Would you like to hold him?" Spencer asked Derek.

Derek smiled, "Of course."

Derek gently picked up the new born baby and cradled his body in his arms. He bent over to look at his face and caught a whiff of the new baby smell.

"Aww he looks just like his dad. He's gonna be a heart breaker when he gets older... Just like uncle Morgan little guy." Morgan said with a laugh.

"Derek!" Penelope screamed.

Everyone in the room laughed. This is what true happiness felt like.


	10. Chapter 9

**1 YEAR LATER**

Penelope woke to the sound of knocking on the front door. She opened her eyes and shook her self from her sleep induced haze, eyes squinting at the sun seeping through the curtains. After quickly scanning her surroundings to make sure her husband and son were okay she pulled herself from the warm confines of her bed and made her way downstairs.

She carefully walked down the dark wooden stairs towards the front door of her families home. Upon reaching the front door she looked through the peep hole and smiled at who it was. She opened the door and was greeted with the sight of Derek and David.

"Good morning Mama," Derek said with a bright smile.

"Morning, Sugar," She replied embracing him in a hug.

She took a few seconds to get lost in Derek's warm embrace before pulling away to show David the same love.

"Where's my grandson and that husband of to yours" David asked while embracing her in a hug.

"You know Alex and his father could sleep through a tornado nowadays," She said.

It was true. Spencer blamed it on the fact that he missed sleep after such long nights when Alex was younger, but she would always tell him he was feeling the affects of being a father...and he was getting old. She let a small smile slip at that thought. Spencer was adamant he couldn't be that old with only a now one year old.

"Why did you guys knock anyway? You both have keys," She wondered.

Derek looked at her hard and raised his eyebrow.

"I will never use a key to this house again unless it's an extreme emergency. I've seen more of you and Spence that I wish to see I'm two lifetimes," he said.

Penelope blushed as she recalled all the times they had been caught in a few choice embraces. It wasn't really her fault. With a baby at home they took any chance they could get at some alone time.

David's laugh shook her out of her thoughts.

"That's besides the point. You go get the little birthday boy, I'll get the mail , and Derek will start getting food prepared," David instructed.

"Derek in the kitchen," She laughed, "oh no."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she turned and darted up the stairs laughing. The sounds of Derek defending his culinary skills fading into the background.

She quietly crept into their bedroom making her way to her sons crib. To her surprise he was wide awake with a small smile on his face. She smiled at her adorable son and reached down to pick him up.

"Happy birthday my little angel," She spoke quietly.

She held him up and bounced him back and forth cooing at him and kissing him while he giggled.

"Let's go wake up daddy," She said.

She turned her body and made her way over to her sleeping husband. She sat down on the bed and laid her son between herself and her husband. Reaching over she began to kiss him awake.

"Wake up sweetie," She said.

He began to stir slightly, but still sleep. After trying for a few minutes she finally decided it was time to just shake him awake. Alex, following his mom's lead began to pound his little fist on his father's back.

"I'm up...I'm up," he said.

He rolled over slowly and smiled at his wife and son. He pushed himself into sitting position and picked up Alex.

"My little boy is one today. Happy birthday little man," he said with a smile.

Penelope smiled at her little family and learned her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Well now that you're up I can go get showered and dressed while you entertain the birthday boy," She said with a smile.

He looked at her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, "There's nothing I'd rather do," he replied.

 **SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS**

Now that they were dressed and ready they made their way downstairs to join the rest of their little family. Upon reaching the kitchen Derek wolf whistled at the sight of Penelope.

"Looking good baby girl." He complimented.

"Still my wife Derek," Spencer said with a lighthearted laugh, "but she does look amazing.

Penelope wore a flowy white off the shoulder dress decorated with pastel pink flowers that hit mid thigh. She paired this with a pair of black strappy sandals. She had her hair pulled into a loose bun at the top of her head and she kept her makeup light.

She only jewelry she wore was her wedding ring, a pair of diamond earrings Spencer had gotten her, and a necklace with all her families birthstones which was a mothers day gift.

All the men dressed just as casually being as though it was the summer and very hot. Spencer wore an outfit that perfectly matched his sons. The boys each wore a pair if loose jean shorts and a plain blue t-shirt. The only difference was that Alex had the words Birthday Boy printed across his shirt.

"The family looks adorable." David said with a grin.

Penelope carried her son over to the backyard doors and opened both doors leading to the outdoor area. Spencer followed closely behind.

"I'll take Alex, and Derek and David can come out with me to set up the grill." Spencer said kissing her lightly on her lips.

"Well lets go then. Penelope the mail is on the table." David spoke.

The three men made their way to the backyard with the baby.

Penelope smiled as her family walked into the backyard and proceeded to grab the mail. Sitting on the barstool she leisurely looked through the mail. Bill. Junk. Junk. Bill. Magazine. Letter. Jun... wait letter. She hurriedly grabbed the letter and examined the envelope. It was plain white, a basic rectangle. There was no incriminating writing on it except for the strangely familiar handwriting addressing it to the "Reid" family.

Never being one to wait, she ripped into the envelope. Enclosed was a letter. She quickly unfolded the letter and began reading as she was anxious to find our who had written them.

 _Dear Penelope and Spencer,_

 _It's been a long year. I'm not sure if that was a good way to start off this letter but I'm honestly at a loss for words. I miss you guys. I never stopped thinking about you guys and I never will. I've always felt that I lost the four most integral pieces of my family. I hate the fact that you guys left and I'll always blame myself for it. I often times wonder how you be been doing. I have the means to find out, but I don't want to intrude on your privacy. The most I would allow myself to find was your address to send this letter._

 _The unit hasn't been the same since you guys left. Hotch turned into a bit of a dictator and JJ pulled away more and more everyday in favor of her family, which no one could really blame her for. We finally fell a part a few months ago. We all knew it was coming._

 _I was lucky enough to be able to go to London and run things there. I don't know if Spencer ever told you that Hotch and I were in a relationship. I always had a feeling that he knew. I've always felt that it was the real deciding factor for you guys to leave. He took advantage of me being "dead" to visit me and pursue a relationship without the rest of you knowing._

 _I feel like I've ranted long enough. There's not much for me to say besides sorry. I hope you guys are living the life you always wanted. I'm sad that after everything it couldn't include me being close to you guys anymore. I'll always love you guys. Never forget that._

 _With love, Emily_

Penelope dried her eyes as the letter came to a close. She had often thought about her old team and wondered how they were. She didn't let her tech abilities to allow her to check in on them.

In some ways it saddened her that the B.A.U has come to an end, but she knew she was living the kind of life she'd always wanted.

With that being said she folded up the letter and tucked away somewhere the men would never find. The endeavor was still something that they felt strongly about and today wasn't the day for anger. It was a day to celebrate their wonderful little boy. It was a day to celebrate family. It was a day to celebrate life. So she walked toward the back yard with a smile.

She was going to do just that.


End file.
